The Penpal, Presents
by Jasmine-N-Leaves
Summary: Here is the presents instalment of my Penpal story. Each team member will get one. What will they receive from Callen and Nell and what past Christmas will they have shared with Callen? Former username Jasmine-Now-Leaves
1. Abby & Gibbs

I haven't forgotten this story. I just wanted to write the whole thing before I posted any more. I am still working on the last two Presents chapters. Any ideas what Callen and Nell would get Hetty? Or each other? Anyway, here is the first one. I hope you enjoy it.

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Christmas dawned bright and cold in Washington DC. Abby Schutio jumped out of bed and raced to the tree. This year she was spending it with the Nuns, like she did every second Christmas since starting at NCIS. As she entered the room, it was filled with young children already including orphans, runaways and street kids. Young single mothers, abused and others in need of safety from the horrors of home life watched as the children looked at the pile of gifts under the fifteen foot high tree decorated in hundreds of lights and decorations.

Abby looked at them for a moment then went back to her room and got her camera. She knew the stories of many of them and knew that many wouldn't have any photos of things like Christmas, so she decided to take as many pictures as she could. She got dressed and started to take photos of the children and their mothers. If the child was alone, she got them and their friends together. When the Nuns came down, more photos were taken.

The sisters knew how hard it was for many of them there and knew that Abby's photos would help. After breakfast and morning worship, the Matron sat in a chair next to the tree and picked a present out. She called out the name and blessed the child as they came forward to receive their gift.

Abby stood to one side and got a photo of every child as they got their gift. All the mothers also got one and Abby was glad she was able to get photos of all of them. After the distribution of the gifts, she got photos of some of the reactions as they opened their presents. The look of joy, happiness and surprise that filled the faces and eyes of everyone there brought tears to her eyes. She was so pleased that she was able to help. Every year she would go around the office and get money from everyone there in the weeks leading up to Christmas. The money went to gifts for the kids and adults that took shelter at the Abby during the Christmas period.

Just after Christmas lunch, Gibbs showed up with DiNozzo, McGee and Ziva in tow, each of them carrying a box filled with wooden toys that Gibbs had made during the year. He took over the role of Santa and handed them out to all the kids. Having been told by Abby of an expectant mother, he had also made a rocking crib. Expertly crafted, he handed the crib over to the shocked and grateful mother. She'd had her baby boy just a week before and placed him in it. After staying just long enough for the nuns to say thank you, the NCIS team left, to continue Christmas with their family and friends. Abby followed shortly after, saying that she wanted to print the photos and that she would bring them around the next day. She headed home, showered, changed and headed to Gibbs place for Christmas dinner.

Abby entered his house and smelt the turkey as she opened the door. She managed to get her gifts inside and closed the door. G. Callen had gotten her a couple of things when he was in Australia recently and had wrapped them in Xmas paper, forcing her to wait. She had seen that Gibbs had also gotten gifts from Callen.

"Gibbs!" She called out as she placed her gifts under the tree. She had gotten Tony, Tim and Ziva gifts as well, however, she had given them to them the day before when they left the office. Gibbs' she placed under the tree.

"Basement Abby, be there shortly. Can you check on the turkey please?"

After saying that she would, Abby went into his kitchen. Abby had been coming to Gibbs for Christmas pretty much since she had started at NCIS. She opened the oven door and shook her head. "How am I supposed to get this out when it probably weighs as much as I do?" She called out after seeing the size of the bird that Gibbs had inside.

"I only asked you to check on it, not pull it out." He said, sneaking up on her.

Abby jumped and hit him as she spun around. "Gibbs!" she yelled. "I though you agreed not to do that sneaking up on me thing on Christmas."

"Training, Abby, can't just turn it off." Gibbs shrugged and Abby knew that it would be the closest thing to an apology she would get.

After dinner they sat next to the tree and opened their gifts. Abby had gotten Gibbs a book on wooden toys from the eighteen to nineteen hundreds. Gibbs had managed to procure a set of early 20th century roller blades in really good condition. He made her promise not to wear them at work.

Then Abby opened one of the gifts from Callen. It was a box from the knocking she had done on it. She knew she could have done an x-ray but she liked the mystery to Christmas gifts. She pulled the wrapping off and revealed a toy wombat, a marsupial native to Australia. She pulled it out of the box and gave it a squeeze to break it in, only to have it fart. Gibbs' head snapped around and looked at her funny. Her face lit up like a neon light and did it again. They smiled then as they thought back to the last time Callen had given her something similar.

_FLASHBACK_

It was the tail end of 2000 when Callen and Gibbs had returned home. They had spent several weeks in the African continent, relying on each other and trusting the other to have their back. For Callen, it was only the second time that anyone had ever cared for him so much. He was with the DEA when NCIS requested him. The mission required that he and Gibbs go to Africa. They had worked together in the past and had worked well. Gibbs had earned Callen's trust the first time several years before by pulling him from a burning car and not leaving him behind after. This trip to Africa had reinforced that.

As Callen used the crutches to enter the offices of NCIS, the Goth girl that ruled the forensic lab rushed toward them shouting. "Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!" She fiercely hugged him as she scolded him for disappearing on her like he had. Gibbs promised to try and not do it again. He looked over Abby's shoulder as Callen limped past him and headed to his desk. The young man had been hit with some shrapnel from an IED, after shouting a warning to Gibbs then running a hundred yards and pushing him back around a corner. Now, with the danger behind them, he looked worse than ever; head down, shoulders slumped and the injured foot almost sliding on the ground with each step. As Callen sat in his chair, the one now occupied by DiNozzo, Gibbs saw the pain and weariness in his face. He crossed his arms and laid his head down on the desk.

Abby had seen him watching Callen and her heart went out to him. Gibbs had told her little about the man, only what he had been able to read from the highly redacted files and what he had observed. She knew that he was an orphan and had no idea who he was. From what Gibbs had told her, he felt he was never wanted, by anyone; as a child and even now as an adult. She stood next to Gibbs and could hear the cogs turning in his head. Before he could say anything, she asked "Where's he staying for Christmas?"

It only took Gibbs a second to think about it. "With me." He knew that the younger man moved constantly.

He never had a car, so Gibbs would pick him up during the few months it took to put together the information for the mission. After a few days, Gibbs had commented rather harshly that he needed to pick a place. Ever since then, he had picked Callen up at a bakery. At first he had thought it meant that Callen had found a place to live. But one week, Gibbs had followed him every day. Most times he soon lost him, the man's natural instincts to cover his tracks made it almost impossible to tail him. But on the rare occasion Gibbs was able to keep him in sight, he followed him to several motels and flop houses.

Gibbs iron heart had cracked a little as he realised that Callen had stopped giving him his address after he had growled at him. He thought back to the files about the places he had stayed at as a child and Gibbs realised that Callen viewed him the same as the foster places he stayed at, non-caring. Gibbs discovered that Callen giving him the addresses was his way of showing Gibbs that he trusted him, just that little bit and Gibbs had broken it.

The next day, Gibbs waited for Callen to leave his new place. As the younger man recognised that Gibbs had followed him, Gibbs told him that he was ok with picking him up where ever he was staying. It took Callen a while to trust him again but he did as Gibbs continued to pick him up.

Gibbs went over to Callen and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder after softly calling out to him. "Callen, your gear still in my trunk?" He asked.

Callen sat up quickly as Gibbs talked. "Uh, yeah." He said as he woke. He had been asleep as soon as his head hit the desk.

"Good, you're spending Christmas with me." Gibbs left no room for argument as he turned to his desk. He looked at the man's reflection in one of the monitors that he used and saw the look of surprise followed by worry cross his face.

"I'm good, thanks Gibbs." He said.

"Callen, you're spending Christmas with me tonight and tomorrow. Scratch that, make it over the holiday period, until that leg heals. You're going to have a warm safe place to stay and a few decent meals. The last few weeks have been hard and my place is large enough, so no argument." He looked at the younger man with a glare.

"Ok." Callen said. Gibbs could see that he was too tired to argue.

Abby had watched from near the elevator and waited until the two men joined her. Gibbs nodded and Abby smiled as he had been successful in getting Callen to come to his place. She drove her own car to Gibbs place and after a quick stop to get a change of clothes, arrived a short time after Gibbs and Callen. She opened the door and as she entered the living room, found herself pinned to the wall by Callen. His eyes were wide and he was holding a gun to her head. She was trying not to panic as she could see that Callen's eyes weren't registering her.

"G! Put the gun down. It's alright, son." Gibbs suddenly shouted. He entered the room after hearing the scuffle from the basement. He saw Callen holding the gun and pinning Abby to the wall. He had told Callen to make himself at home while he went to the basement to get a couple of drinks. Callen had dropped to the couch and before Gibbs had even left the room he was asleep. The painkillers and exhaustion catching up with him. Gibbs got closer and called to him again, "G, it's ok, it's Abby from work." He sighed with relief as he slowly lowered the weapon. Gibbs mentally cursed himself. He had forgotten that G had done a similar thing to him while they were in Africa.

"Abby, I'm so sorry!" Callen had said as he lowered the gun. Abby watched as his shoulders drooped and his breathing evened out.

"It's ok, Callen." Abby said as she got her breath back. "I didn't get hurt." She gently placed a hand on his shoulder, then when he didn't pull away, she pulled him into a hug.

After dinner that night, Abby handed him a small box in Christmas wrapping. Callen had looked at her oddly before opening the box. It contained a key on a skull and cross bones key chain.

"It's a key to my place if you find yourself without somewhere to sleep and Gibbs isn't here. You're welcome anytime." She said. Abby could see the tears in his eyes and asked "G? Everything alright?" She was worried that she had upset him.

"Yeah." He hurriedly wiped his eyes and continued "It's been a long time since anyone's given me a key to their place. Thank you Abby." He hugged her and Abby could feel him shaking with silent sobs and hugged him harder. She was rubbing circles in his back when Gibbs entered the room. Abby quickly signed what had happened, he nodded and returned to the kitchen. After a few moments, Callen got up and limped over to his bag. He pulled out a box in Xmas paper and handed it to her. She quickly tore it open and pulled out the Hippo toy.

"Oh, G, its beautiful!" She squealed and gave it a hug, causing it to fart. "What the…?" She asked as she heard Callen chuckle. She looked over and saw a genuine smile on his face. _He is so HOT! _She thought as his face lit up.

"I thought you might like him." He said. "He's different but cool, like you."

"Thank you G. Callen." She said, making sure that he knew she was serious.

"You're welcome Abby Scuito." He replied and allowed her to hug him again.

Gibbs had watched from his kitchen door and smiled as the two younger people hugged. He was pleased that Abby had given Callen a key to her place, should he need it.

_END FLASHBACK_

Gibbs and Abby smiled at the memory of Bert coming into their lives. Abby then opened the other gift from Callen. It was a small box and inside was a key on a skull and crossbones key chain. A note was under it. "Should you find yourself in LA." Below it was his address. Abby smiled again and quickly went to attach it to her other keys.

Gibbs' lips twitched as he watched Abby, happy that his adopted son had given Abby a key. Gibbs didn't do gifts, however, if someone saw fit to give him one, who was he to argue. Two had appeared on his workbench in the basement the morning Callen and Nell had left. He had left them there until tonight. The first one was rather heavy and once Gibbs had opened it, he saw why.

It contained a set of wooden handled woodworking tools. Each handle was a different colour depending on the wood. Callen had written a note, explaining what each one was. Each was unique to Australia. Now Gibbs never cried, but he did tear up as he thought of the thoughtfulness of the gift. Sure, people got him tools as gifts, but rarely did anyone combine both his love of the tools and the wood. He ran a hand over the tools as he set them down and picked up the envelope.

It contained a shipping manifest. It was sitting in a container at a pier on the Potamic, and according to the docket, held several pieces of Australian timber. The same timber that the tools had been made from.

Gibbs now let the tears fall unstopped. He felt Abby's arms go round his shoulders and he let her hug him.

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A/N: And there we go. I got the feeling from the original crossover that Gibbs cared a great deal about Callen. The same thing when Abby came to them. I hope this does justice to that and I hope it fits into the time line.


	2. Sam

A/N: Here's part two. Enjoy.

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Christmas had come early in the Hannah house hold; really early. Sam's kids had woken him and Michelle up around five am, so they had pulled the kids into the bed with them and snuggled down for a couple more hours.

Sam watched his kids play with the gifts that Callen and Nell had got for them a few hours later. Ellie had a Koala while Mathew had a Kangaroo. Both children were happily making up games with their new toys. He laughed then turned his attention to a gift that Callen had gotten for him. He opened the wrapping and pulled out two boxes. Each contained a uniquely Australian wine, one of which Sam remembered won the world Wine Championships a couple of years before.

Michelle opened another gift, a simple envelope. The paper within was anything but simple, it was a year-long membership to a winery in Victoria, and included a winning wine delivered monthly and exclusive deals on wines across the globe. She handed it to Sam who gasped. Sam couldn't believe that Callen would be so extravagant. Then he remembered that Callen really didn't have much to spend money on.

The final gift was of two documentaries, one on the Great Barrier Reef and the other on the restoration of one of QANTAS's first jets. Sam recalled talking about it with Callen one night when he saw a news bulletin some years ago.

Looking over at his family, Sam couldn't have asked for a better partner or friend and was proud to call him both. He thought back to the first time he asked Callen to come for Christmas dinner.

_FLASHBACK_

They had been partners just on four months when Sam asked him to come for Christmas in 2007. After meeting the rest of the family a couple of months before, Michelle and the kids had insisted that Sam bring him for Christmas. Sam had been working side by side with the man for months, but had yet to hear him talk about his own family. He told Michelle that and received the response that he could invite them as well.

They were on a stakeout the day after, and as Callen sucked on a Tootsie Pop, Sam thought about how to ask him to come for Christmas dinner the following night. Michelle would kill him for leaving it so late.

"What ya thinking about, Sam?" Callen had asked as he finished the lolly and dropped the stick into his pocket for later disposal. Sam had noticed that Callen had a habit of putting his rubbish into his pocket and dumping it in the first bin he came to.

"I was thinking that I'd like to know who taught you to keep your rubbish." Sam replied, a chuckle in his voice. He didn't realise that Callen had been watching him. As he spoke, he saw a brief look of fear on his face and watched as he rubbed the back of his hand "G?" Sam was worried now. In the past four months, he had never seen Callen show anything like what he did just then.

"Yeah Sam?" Callen asked.

While Sam was still learning how to read Callen, he didn't need look hard to know that he was not only lying, but was avoiding answering his question. "What was that about?" He asked pointing to his partner's hand, which he was still rubbing. When Sam had pointed it out, Callen had looked at the unconscious gesture, scowled and roughly folded his arms.

"Nothing." He had said, a slight grumble in his voice. "Drop it." Sam also heard hurt mixed with a hint of fear.

The pair sat silently for another hour before Renko had come to relieve them. As they drove back, Sam asked again. "What was with the rubbing, G?"

"Just drop it Agent Hannah." Callen had growled. He was the first person that Sam had ever met that could actually do that. That was also the first time since returning from Mexico that he had called him by his last name.

As Sam slowed for a traffic light, he kept poking. It was his SEAL training to ask a fellow warrior if everything was ok and to not stop until he got an answer. He was starting to get a bad feeling that he wouldn't like the answer. "Does it have something to do with these?" He slowed to a stop and held up several of the lolly wrappers that Callen had neatly folded and tucked into the cup holder between them. After a couple of days, Sam had found that the wrappers were great for origami. The ones he was holding were ones that he hadn't gotten to. He had a joking tone in his voice, but the sudden flash of fear in Callen's eyes made him wonder if he should have dropped the subject when Callen had asked.

The blonde man abruptly grabbed the candy wrappers, undid his seatbelt and left the car, gently closing the door behind him. It all happened so quickly that Sam didn't have a chance to even call out before a car horn from behind him told him to drive. He looked behind him to wave to the driver that he had heard him then turned back to find Callen, only to see, nothing. The man was nowhere to be seen.

Sam had arrived back at the old warehouse without his partner an hour later. He had spent thirty minutes looking for the man before remembering that Macey had mentioned that he won't be found until he wants to be. Wondering just how he was going to explain Callen simply walking away from him, he opened the elevator just as Callen walked out of the shadows on the other side of the street. Sam jumped slightly as his partner unexpectedly appeared beside him. After making up a story about getting delayed in traffic, Sam and Callen had spent the rest of the day on opposite sides of the room. The rest of the group noticed the tension between the two members and wondered just what had happened.

The day finally ended and Sam barely managed to catch Callen before he left for the day. "Hey, G! Wait up man." He slung his coat over his shoulder and raced after Callen. "G!" Sam grabbed his arm and as he turned him around was met with a punch that sent the bigger man stumbling. Callen had used his own energy plus that of Sam turning him to clock him a good one. It had been a while since anyone had managed to get him that good, and he stood for a moment, wiping the blood from the split lip. When he looked up, Callen was gone, again. He sighed as footsteps came from behind him.

"He didn't have his bag with him this morning when you two arrived. If you hurry, you should be able to get to where he is staying before he does." Macey suddenly said behind him. She hadn't believed a word the two had told her before, seeing how they were acting after, so she had Eric track them. She had seen Callen leave Sam's car then vanish from the cameras. She watched as Sam looked for Callen for a while, and then obviously remembered that he wouldn't be able to find his wayward partner. "What happened?"

Sam just shook his head as he didn't understand himself.

"Find him and ask. He's never mentioned anything to any of us here." Macey said. "His file is so redacted, that I can't read anything to be of any help. You're his partner, he'll tell you."

Sam had simply nodded and went to the motel he had picked Callen up from that morning. He parked a couple of blocks away and headed over on foot. After confirming that Callen was still checked in, he went to the room, picked the lock and entered. He sighed with relief as he saw the faded kit bag on the bed, packed and ready to go. He locked the door behind him, then sat on the bed and waited for Callen to arrive.

It was almost an hour later that Callen showed. What Sam hadn't expected was him holding his gun up and ready. Callen swung into the room in full clearing mode until he saw Sam sitting on the bed. He sighed and lowered the gun. "What are you doing here Hannah?" Sam cringed mentally when Callen used his last name again.

Without showing any outward signs of frustration, Sam got off the bed and handed the man his bag. "I came to ask you to Christmas dinner tomorrow night. Michelle, the kids and I want you to come." He had added himself to the list so that Callen would know that his partner wanted him to come and not just his family.

"I don't do Christmas Sam." He had said and turned to leave. Sam wasn't about to lose him a third time and just as he reached out to grab him again Callen had said "Unless you want another one, I wouldn't recommend it."

Sam dropped his arm and when Callen hadn't walked out he asked "Your family didn't do Christmas?"

"Was never with a family that cared." Callen said, still not facing Sam, his voice hard and matter of fact.

Sam had started to put pieces together. The unconscious rubbing of the hand, the fact that the kid they interviewed last week was an orphan and Callen had gone easy on him, Along with the fear in his eyes when Sam had called him out on the wrappers in the cup holder; Callen was an orphan, had been brought up in the system and hadn't had the best experience. Callen's declaration confirmed it.

"Where are you staying over Christmas, G?" Sam asked. He knew that very few places would have any rooms left and the shelters wouldn't be taking in a man like Callen. He learnt quickly that Callen had never stayed in one spot very long, and now he knew why. When he didn't get an answer after a few moments he continued "That couch is pretty comfy as a bed, and it's got your name on it if you want."

They stood silent for a while, Callen in the doorway, facing the motel courtyard; Sam next to the bed, his arms folded.

"I don't have anything to give you guys." Callen had finally said.

"You being there will be enough; partner?" Sam replied as he came up to Callen, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. Callen had looked up at him and nodded before heading back downstairs. Sam silently sighed. Callen was going to be ok, and Sam was going to make sure that the man knew he would always have somewhere safe to crash if he needed it.

He texted Michelle as he followed Callen to let her know that he had managed to get his partner to come for a couple of days. He also told her that he had no family and he had grown up in the system. Michelle replied that she would have the couch set up and ready for when he arrived.

Sam looked over at his partner as he pulled up to his house. Callen was actually asleep and only stirred when he turned the car off. "We're here partner." He said as he got out of the car. After dinner, Callen thanked him and Michelle for letting him stay. Under the glow of Christmas lights adorning the tree, Sam watched his partner settle onto the couch and simply stare at the lights. Leaving them on, he headed to bed.

The next morning, Sam was worried when Ellie didn't come running into their bedroom. He turned to his wife, who was also awake and said that she was also worried. Ever since Ellie had been able to walk, she would come running into their room on birthday's, mother's and father's days as well as Christmas. Getting up, the pair headed into the children's bedroom. When they entered, they saw that Mathew was also missing. Worry had gone out the window and terror had entered as Sam and Michelle started to search the rest of the house for their missing children.

As they entered the living room, they let out silent sighs of relief as they saw the kids sitting next to Callen in front of the tree. Sam and Michelle stayed quiet as Ellie giggled while Callen explained as he demonstrated how to un-wrap a present, take a peak and rewrap it so that no one would be the wiser. "The trick is to let the paper tell you how it was folded so that no one knows you opened it." He whispered knowingly first to Ellie then Mathew in his lap. Sam and Michelle slowly backed off and headed back to their room as Callen told the children that it was probably time for them to wake up.

After breakfast, it was present time. Sam re-iterated to Callen that his presence was his gift when the blonde man got nervous about the gifts. The kids got toys and Ellie got her first book which she promptly wanted Callen to read to her. Sam saw the slight look of fear that crossed his face and rescued the man, telling his daughter that he would read it to her later.

After the kids had raced off to play with their toys, in Mathew's case, placed in his play pen; Sam handed Callen two small gifts.

"I know you didn't get us anything, and we don't mind. These are just for you, G." Sam said at the look on his partner's face.

He and Michelle watched as he opened the larger of the two. It was a simple silver photo frame, and within it was a photo of the Hannah family. Sam's eyes glistened as he watched his friend run his finger over the picture. He looked at the two of them and Sam patted his shoulder and nudged the other gift into his hand.

When Callen opened it, a small chuckle escaped his lips. He then held up a key on a bright pink flower keychain. "Thank you Sam. Thank you Michelle." He said as he pulled out another single key on a skull and crossbones keychain. Sam and Michelle had exchanged looks as Callen attached one to the other. "A friend in D.C. gave me this one several years ago at Christmas, for the same reason you are now. Thank you." He looked at them both and nodded.

It was when they started to clean up the wrapping paper later that afternoon that Sam nodded to Michelle and she went off to put the children down for a nap. Alone with his partner, Sam hoped that Callen would open up a little bit. After several minutes, he heard his partner take a breath.

"You asked me when we first started together what my name was?" Callen didn't look up, simply continued to push paper into the bin.

"Yeah, and that when I pushed, you shut down, like you did today."

"I don't know it." Sam heard Callen pause in cleaning and Sam joined him as he thought about his partner's statement. Before he had a chance to ask, Callen continued. "According to records, I showed up on the doorstep of an orphanage holding a small backpack with the name G. Callen on it in faded ink."

The silence stretched for several minutes and when Sam looked over at Callen, he could have sworn that he saw tears fall from the man's face. "In between the orphanages, I was in over thirty foster homes. I was eight and Mrs Marly caught me dropping a sweet wrapper by accident. She slammed a ruler onto my knuckles until they bled, and with each hit she would tell me not to litter."

Sam saw Callen's knuckles turn white as he told the story. Sam knew that Callen never opened up and according to others, never let himself or them get too close. Now he knew why. A quick calculation and what he had said about being in so many homes, meant that he was in them for less than a handful of weeks. He rested his hand on his partners shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Callen nodded in return and the two men went back to cleaning.

Since then, Sam had helped Callen whenever he searched for his history. And while his partner still thought it was necessary to go off on his own, Sam made him know that he would always be there, would always be ready to help and to pull him through.

_END FLASHBACK_

Sam and Michelle enjoyed the rest of their day and hoped that Callen and Nell were enjoying it as well.

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A/N: I hope you enjoyed this instalment of the Presents saga. Thanks to all those who have read and reviewed.

A/N2: The documentary I mentioned about the plane (QANTAS's first jet aircraft, the Boeing 707, _City of Canberra_) is real and is well worth getting a hold of and watching if you're a plane buff.


	3. Kensi & Marty

A/N: Here is another instalment of the presents series. I hope all who read this are enjoying it. Halfway through, just another three to go.

* * *

Marty jerked awake as something cold and wet pushed against his cheek. Once he saw that it was just Monty, who had somehow gained reindeer antlers during the night, he calmed down. He flopped back onto the bed for a moment to catch his breath and to convince his heart that he wasn't in danger. After a few seconds he got up and chucking some shoes and a jacket on, he let Monty out. After a quick run, he returned to find his partner on his step.

"Kensi? Why aren't you with your Mom?" Marty asked as he opened the door and let her and Monty in. He washed up and got breakfast ready for the three of them while she answered him.

"She didn't want me to come over until later, something about getting everything ready for our first Christmas together since I was a kid."

"Ok. What are you feeling like for breakfast?" He asked as he pulled out several things.

After finishing breakfast and cleaning up, Kensi turned to her partner and said "Hey Marty, Mom wants to know if you wanted to come for Christmas lunch."

"Really? Why?" Marty was surprised. He didn't know Kensi's mother at all and wondered why she wanted him to come.

"I think she wants to thank you."

"She's going to try and play matchmaker isn't she?" He asked as he got some things together to head out.

"Yep." Kensi said as she took hold of Monty's lead as Marty locked up.

Kensi and Marty arrived just on twelve. After knocking on the door, Julia Fieldman opened it with a smile. "Hello baby." She said with a hug for her daughter. She held onto her as she looked over at Marty. "Hello, Martin, thank you for coming." She smiled and Marty could feel real warmth in the greeting and the smile.

"Thank you for inviting me. I hope you don't mind my dog. I didn't want to leave him alone." He said, suddenly remembering that neither of them had called her to tell her about him.

"No, I don't mind." She stepped back and allowed them. Once the door was closed, she knelt down and gave the scruffy dog a tussle around his ears, avoiding knocking the antlers off. "What's his name?"

"Monty." The two partners said at the same time. They smiled at each other, not noticing that Julia had seen the look.

Just then, a timer went off somewhere and Julia stood. "Time to get the turkey out of the oven." She said and shooed her guests into the living room. It was filled with a large Christmas tree, lights galore and candles.

Kensi took a deep breath, taking in the scents of the candles, the tree and the room itself. Marty smiled as his partner was obviously taken back to another time. "Good memories?" He asked.

"Yeah." She breathed out. She swayed slightly as she took another deep breath and a look of giddy happiness filled her face. Marty had never seen her this relaxed and happy and was pleased that she had reconnected with her mother.

When Kensi opened her eyes, she found that she had found her way over to the tree. It and the room were done up exactly like she remembered from when she was a child. It brought back so many memories. She looked down at the handful of presents under the tree and saw that there was one for her, not written in her mother's handwriting. She then noticed the rather large one standing next to the tree. It was addressed to Marty, in the same handwriting. After a moment of worry, she recognised it as Callen's. "Hey Mom?" She called out as she picked up the small one addressed to her.

"Yeah Sweetie?" Julia answered as she came into the room.

"Where did these come from?" Kensi asked as she held up the gift while pointing to the other.

"Oh, Agents Callen and Jones dropped them off yesterday, saying that they hadn't been able to give them to you before. Nice couple, even if there is a bit of an age gap." She said before returning to the kitchen.

Kensi and Marty looked at each other and smiled. Callen and guessed that Julia would invite Marty for the day. After a fabulous lunch, they opened the gifts. Kensi's mother had gotten her a bracelet she had had engraved. Kensi got her mother a necklace and a day at a spa for the two of them to enjoy together in the New Year. Kensi received a set of earrings made with Lapis Lazuli, her favourite stone, from Marty. Marty received a pair of wool-lined leather gloves from Kensi while Monty got the wrapping paper. Sounds of it being shredded filled the room when the threesome turned to the gifts that their leader and technical analyst had dropped off.

Kensi opened the smaller gift first. She pulled out what she thought were slightly thicker chopsticks at first, painted black with long stems that ended in flowers that looked like paws, until she read Callen's note.

'Happy Christmas Kensi. I found these in a store in Australia. The flowers are Kangaroo Paw. The owner said that they were one of a kind. I believe that they were meant for you as you too are one of a kind. Twist to the right and pull. Try not to kill Deeks with them. They should make for a nice addition to any hairstyle.'

She put the note down and did as he instructed. The hairstick came apart in her hand and at first she thought she had broken it, until she noticed that it contained a long thing blade made from porcelain. The top quarter of the hairstick was the handle, while the rest was hollowed out to house the blade. She smiled and swung to show Marty.

"Whoa, careful there! Hey that's cool." Marty held his hand out to have a look and was pleased when she handed it to him. He carefully looked it over before putting it back into its housing. "They are seriously awesome." He said, handing them back to her and watching her put them into her hair.

As Kensi put them into her hair, she told Deeks about the first time Callen had given her a gift that had a dual purpose.

_FLASHBACK_

Kensi had been with the team for a couple of weeks and was still getting use to working with the guys, who had been working together for over a year. Sam and Renko guessed any chance they got about the reasons she joined NCIS and their team in particular, but Callen had simply accepted her. One morning, just before Christmas 2008, she had had enough of the guessing and the joking and walked out of the building for some air.

She heard something behind her and swung around to punch whom she thought would most likely be Renko, since he was her partner. Her hand was caught by the team leader who didn't even flinch as he stopped her fist an inch from his face. "Mr Callen! I'm sorry, I thought you were Renko." She gasped. When he released her hand, she dropped it to her side.

"Kensi, I've told you, Callen's fine." Callen had shrugged and gestured for her to join him in the walk she had started. "He was going to come, but I told him I would."

"I know you're the team leader, but you've never questioned my joining the team. Can I ask why?" Kensi asked as they walked. After a half block and she didn't receive an answer, she figured that she wouldn't. Callen just turned a corner and in front of them was a small bakery.

"My treat, what do you feel like?" He asked. After telling him what she wanted she took a seat outside and waited. Ten minutes later he returned. From the line-up outside, she had figured on at least a half hour wait. She asked him, surprised when he returned so fast. "Sam and I managed to clear the owner's son a few months back, we're the only ones he serves personally. No waiting."

Kensi tucked into her breakfast burrito and was halfway through swallowing when Callen spoke again. "Your sniper instructor gave me your file twelve months ago, when you joined NCIS."

Kensi paused and finished her mouthful before attempting to speak. "Why you? I thought Macey picked the team."

"Major Tyson knows me from way back, he and I served together. When he gave me the file he said you were the only other person he had come across that came close to me." He chuckled as he continued, "He also said it was a pity that you were just a reservist."

Kensi had stared at him until he asked if she was trying to catch flies. She took another bite of her food as Callen continued.

"Macey doesn't even get a final say about who I pick. Have you heard of a woman named Hetty Lange?"

"Who hasn't?" She said with awe. Any woman worth her salt who worked at NCIS had heard of her.

"She's the one with the final say. Macey runs the place, but it's Hetty who approves of my choices."

"Even Sam?" Kensi may not have been with the team long, but she could see that Sam had a habit of keeping the elusive G. Callen close, something that often rubbed the team leader the wrong way.

"No, that was Hetty and Hetty alone. Something about needing someone to watch my back." He snorted. Kensi heard the annoyance in his voice and wisely kept quiet, not having been with the team long enough to know that much about the two eldest members.

After they had eaten, he pulled out a small object and handed it to Kensi. It was wrapped in Christmas paper. "I'm not going to be at the Christmas party later tonight, and I drew your name for the gift exchange. Here's yours." At Kensi's query, he said he had something to do and wouldn't be able to make it, he simply said that she could open it.

She tore off the paper and opened the jewellery box. Inside sat a bracelet and matching necklace. She gasped at them. They were beautiful. The bracelet was made up of several clusters of jewels and gems sitting on domed facings. When Callen held his hand out, she handed it to him to put on. Once it was on, Callen clicked open one of the facings. She realised that each one was like a small locket, and each held something different. The one Callen opened had a couple of small capsules. When she looked at him, he explained.

"Laxatives. You never know how handy they are to have when you need to talk to someone privately or put them out of action at a critical time. And you being as pretty as you are, will be the last one anyone will think of." He said as he closed the locket. He spent several minutes explaining what each section housed and she was impressed by how much it held. Some contained trackers, others sleeping pills and the one on the necklace was big enough to hold two nine millimetre bullets.

_END FLASHBACK_

Marty smiled and made her promise to show him the set. He then turned his attention to the tall box. He borrowed a knife from Julia and carefully cut the tape holding it closed. When he lifted the lid, he gasped.

Inside was a surfboard, made by the most famous surfboard company in Australia, Billabong. When he lifted it up, he discovered a second board underneath. Sitting on top of the second board, was a note.

'Happy Christmas Marty. I know you already have a board, however, if you manage to get Kensi on the other one here, you might as well be on matching boards. I think she'll give you a good run for your money once you give her the basics. Good luck and have fun.'

Marty showed Kensi the note and the two smiled. They looked at the gifts and each thought about how much fun or trouble they could get into with them. They hoped that Callen and Nell were having a good Christmas with each other.

* * *

A/N: I know I promised to have this done before Christmas, but I had to move out of the place I was renting and quit my job. It's been and interesting few weeks. However, I have finished writing all the chapters and will post them all shortly.

A/N: By the way, Happy New Year! :)


	4. Eric

A/N: Here we go. Please forgive my total lack of gaming knowledge, anything here that happens to be correct is from me watching my baby brother play.

A/N2: Sorry for the shortness of this chapter, I really don't know that much about them.

* * *

Eric was having fun playing with his neighbour's children. The woman was a single mom to twins and he helped out when he could, including spending Christmas with them. His own family was a long way away, and given that Hetty had only given them a few days holiday, traveling all the way to Hawaii and back wouldn't leave much time to spend with them. As a result he spent the whole day with the small family so didn't get back to his own place until after the kids had been put to bed.

He smiled as he placed the photo of the four of them he had been given next to several others of the team on a table in the living room. As he was about to head for a shower, he spotted the gifts that Callen and Nell had dropped off to him the day before.

He stopped and pulled the wrapping paper off the smaller of the two, revealing a game that he remembered discussing with Nell some months before. He had been looking forward to its release, however when it came out, he never got around to buying it. He smiled as he remembered that it was made by one of the biggest gaming companies in Australia. Eric put the game next to the console and let his thoughts float back to when Callen had caught him using the computers at ops to play a game shortly after he had joined NCIS.

_FLASHBACK_

It had been one hell of a case. A hacker had managed to get into the personal files of several Navy personal and targeted the ones most likely to give up intel for money.

Unfortunately for the hacker, one of his targets loved his country more than money and informed NCIS. Once the hacker had discovered that detail, he had targeted the man's family, kidnapping them. The team managed to rescue the family and catch the hacker after Eric had managed to beat the man at his own game.

Eric had thought he was the only one left, knowing that Macey had left around an hour earlier. It was Christmas Eve, 2006, and with his family halfway around the world, he decided to stay. He contacted some friends, set up a game and had started to play. After an hour or so, and dying several times he growled in frustration. He was still new to the whole fact that he now had a front row seat to this sort of thing in real life and found that it affected his ability to play virtual games.

He had been caught a year earlier hacking into the NCIS database for kicks. After being given an ultimatum of either working for the people he hacked or jail time he chose the former. A few months after he started at the agency, he had been transferred to OSP. He was still getting to know the team. Renko was cool to be around; Macey was OK as far as bosses went, but the team leader, Callen? Eric was hard pressed to even talk to the man about anything other than work, so he was beginning to think the man didn't like him.

He was so caught up in his musings and frustration that he jumped out of his chair when a voice suddenly came from behind him. "The problem is that you don't have backup, and the others have picked up on it." When he finally managed to turn around, Eric saw that it was Callen standing there. "The more you look around and act jumpy, the more they picked up on the fact that you're on your own." Callen pulled a chair from somewhere else and sat next to him. "Start it again, I'll watch your back."

Eric still didn't know anything about the man, and since Callen hadn't asked about his family, he wouldn't ask about Callen's. But he wanted to know why Callen wanted to play the game with him "Why?"

"You watched my back today on the cameras. You saw that guy aiming for me before I knew he was there. You let me know about it." Eric could sense that he was struggling with the fact that Eric had watched his back. He guessed it was from moving from one agency to another all the time and never being able to fully trust the people he worked with. Macey had mentioned a little to him when he asked her about something to do with Callen.

Not knowing if it was going a bit far with the man he hardly knew he said "It's what friends do for each other, watch each other's backs." Seeing the smallest of smiles grace Callen's lips before his mask came back over his face, Eric re-entered the game.

The next several hours passed quickly; Eric explaining the game and its objectives to Callen, while Callen watched his back and gave him some pointers on how to use the games features to know what was happening around him. He also gave him tips on how act more confident and lull his friends into thinking he had no idea they were sneaking up on him. Eric managed to win with Callen's help and the two laughed at the annoyance of Eric's gaming buddies that he had not only won, but had somehow managed to lose them in the maze of streets and lead them into a trap.

After packing up, the two headed out and got a Christmas drink. As they drank, Eric thanked Callen. Not really expecting a reply he was surprised when Callen spoke. "I should be thanking you. I didn't say that before. Thank you Eric, for having my back. I have yours when you need it."

When the team returned to work after New Year's, Macey had questioned the high internet usage the day they gamed. Callen had quietly explained to her that he and Eric had done some male bonding and Macey had left it at that, knowing how rare it was for Callen to let someone in. She simply mentioned that the next time it happened; it would be coming out of their own pay. And that they were not to OSP resources.

_END FLASH BACK_

He opened the second long present and laughed at it. It was a didgeridoo painted in traditional themes. _Try not to overdo it in ops, or Hetty might confiscate it. Happy Christmas, Eric. Love Callen and Nell._ Eric read the information that came with it and had a go. He was pleased with the sound but told himself that until he got really good at it, he wouldn't be taking it to work. He made a mental note to get a copy of the team's reaction to it when he did eventually use it.

Eric put the game on and set about learning what needed to be set up in terms of the character before calling it a night. He sent a text to Callen, thanking him and Nell for the game and leaving an invitation for Callen to join him for a game at some point. He smiled as he headed to bed and hoped that the couple were enjoying their own Christmas.

* * *

A/N: Thanks to BH72 for the idea of the didgeridoo.

A/N: And by baby brother I mean 6"1' and in his mid twenties.


	5. Hetty

A/N: I hope you all enjoy this chapter. The reason I didn't post for so long, aside from moving, is that I needed to get this one just right. Part of it is mentioned in the epilogue that I have mostly written for the PenPal saga. I hope it reads ok and makes sense when I post it. Enjoy.

* * *

Hetty looked out over the water and watched as children played on the sand at the back of her home. She had owned the house for decades and had a privet beach that she never used. Every year she would pay for busses to bring children staying in orphanages on Christmas day to have a day on the beach. She smiled as she heard them squealing in laughter and chasing one another around. As she heard the carers call to the children for lunch, she heard her own doorbell ring

Nell and Callen entered the hallway after Hetty had opened the door. The head of OPS had invited the newly engaged couple to her home to have Christmas lunch. "Mr Callen, Miss Jones, welcome." Hetty led the way through to her dining room and told them to have a seat. As she entered the room, she caught Callen heading out to the porch to have a look at the crowd outside.

She headed into the kitchen to pull the ham out of the fridge when she heard footsteps behind her. She recognised them as belonging to her Agent In Charge. She simply opened the fridge and let him pull the meat out.

"The place hasn't changed, Hetty." He said as he pulled out items. "I came here a couple of times when I was a kid." He said to Nell as passed her with an armful of dishes. "You were the first person to really take care of me. It was you who told me that a scar was the sign of a survivor." He said as he looked at the smaller woman when he re-entered the kitchen.

Nell also followed them in and soon the three of them had laid out the table. Hetty told them to sit as she went back in for one last thing. She opened the oven and was about to pull the turkey out when the oven-mitts on her hands were yanked off.

"Hetty, what are you doing trying to get a bird out this size on your own? More to the point, how did you get it in here?" Callen said suddenly from above her.

She looked up to see the cheeky grin on his face. She stepped clear as he pulled it out and followed him as he placed it on the table. She had seen Nell step back into the dining room as Callen pulled the bird out and wondered how long it would take for her to ask. They had been engaged in banter that was very different to what they did at work and Nell had obviously caught it.

After lunch found them sitting next to the tree and despite Hetty insistence that she did not want anything, Nell handed Hetty a small box.

"I do believe that I stressed that I did not want anything." She said as she opened it.

"Oh, wonderful." Hetty said as she took out the broach. It had Swarovski crystals surrounding a Queensland opal. She held it up to the light and saw that one of them had modified it into something just a bit more than a broach. She took a closer look and saw that attached to the back was a small glass spray bottle. It would only hold enough for a single spray, however she figured that it would be enough to hold a quick refresh of perfume, or a knock out liquid of some sort.

Then Callen presented Hetty with a heavy box.

She gasped as she saw the item within. "How?" She looked up at Callen.

"I owed you one, remember?"

Hetty pulled out the sky blue 1950s Eskimo hair dryer and weighted in her hands. "This is an original, not a replica. How on Earth did you find one?"

"I happened upon an antiques store that happened to have one sitting in the window. I'm sorry it took me so long to replace the one I broke."

"You meant the one you threw at me?" Hetty raised her eyebrows and was joyed to see his cheeks turn a slight shade of pink while Nell looked shocked.

Nell asked the question that had been plaguing her since Callen had followed Hetty into the kitchen when they arrived. "Greg, what was with the banter back in the kitchen?" Then she asked the question that had just popped into her head "And what does she mean you threw a hair dyer at her?"

"What banter?"

"Don't give me that. That was not the same as when you're at work, nor was it that of friends."

"What was it like then?" Callen asked as he drank a glass of eggnog, managing to hide the smirk behind the glass. He caught Hetty's small nod and knew that she was going to tell her.

"A son being cheeky to his mother. And the mother tolerating it because she hasn't seen him in a long time. The same talk goes on in my family at this time of year too."

Callen paused a moment and looked over at Hetty and when she nodded, he started. "I first met Hetty when I was seven."

Hetty took up the story after that. "As you know, many years ago I was unable to get Callen, his sister and Mother out of Romania. I didn't know what had become of him until two years later, when he came here with other children from the orphanage. Like those outside right now, he was at the home during Christmas."

_FLASHBACK_

Hetty Lang watched as the children ran around, into the water and out again just as fast; rolling in the sand and screaming in laughter. There were close to thirty of them along with about fifteen carers. Hetty had paid for the whole thing. Something she had started just a few years before and found that the orphanages appreciated the chance for the kids to just be kids. She sat in a chair on her porch and took a moment to look at each of the children. Almost all had formed into groups and were playing happily with each other.

Almost all; sitting in the shadows she thought she spotted the figure of a small child. As she watched, several children raced over to the child and attempted to get him to play. She saw him shake his blonde head and after the other children had left him, he stood and headed toward the table that they had just finished lunch at. He opened his backpack and started to put pieces of bread and other things that were prepacked into it. Once he had zipped it up he headed over to a drink coolie.

He helped another younger child; a girl, to get a drink from the water coolie before having a drink himself. As he was about to put the pack over his shoulder, Hetty saw the young girl accidently spill some of the drink on an older boy in a red shirt. The bigger boy yelled at the girl, and caught the boy's attention. The boy rushed at Red Shirt and pushed him away from the girl as Red Shirt raised a hand to strike at her. While yelling at the girl to run; the blonde boy swung his pack at Red Shirt, who grabbed it threw it to the ground.

Hetty heard him cry out as the bag broke and his things scattered. The older boy started to call him names and shove him with each one. Hetty caught some of the words and came to her feet when she heard them. The older boy was calling the younger one all sorts of names for a foreigner, none of them nice. As she got closer, the older boy's friends joined in when the younger one, who looked to be around six or seven, managed to give him a pretty good wallop. They grabbed his arms and held him as the instigator kicked at him. His boot caught the young boy on his leg and Hetty heard him yell then swear in another language.

Hetty finally managed to reach the group and grabbed the older boy by the arm and pulled him away from the blonde boy. "Enough." She said, holding him firmly as he struggled. Predictably, he said something insulting about her height and was rewarded by suddenly finding sand in his mouth and a foot on his neck. Ignoring the bully for a moment, she looked at the others, "Release him." She waited a moment for them to comply then, once they had let go of the young boy and fled, she looked down at the boy she was pinning. "Must we take this further?" She asked.

"No, please?" He begged her to let him go.

"If I hear that you have hurt, annoyed or bullied anyone again, I will make sure you are never placed with a family." After getting a nod from him she let him go. Once he had left, Hetty turned to look for the boy she had saved, only to find that he and most of his things had vanished. "Oh, bugger." She sighed.

She looked around the beach a moment before going to find a supervisor. After telling her about the incident, Hetty was informed with an annoyed sigh that the boy was most likely Callen. She gasped as she heard the name. The supervisor was suddenly called away by another and missed her surprise. Hetty looked around the area, but couldn't see any sign of the boy. She went back to the spot where the scuffle had occurred and looked around in the sand. She found a few things, as well as a small trail of blood.

Fearing that he had been seriously wounded, Hetty quickly followed the blood into her house. She placed the things she had found on the table and listened. She heard small, almost silent sobs and made her way toward them. She found the boy in the bathroom, trying to stop the bleeding from a cut on his leg. She must have made a noise then, either that or the boys natural sixth sense noticed her, because he suddenly looked up and cried out.

"Leave me alone!" He shouted in Russian while throwing the first thing he laid his hand on, which happened to be her favorite hairdryer.

She skilfully ducked out of the way of the flying object. "I can help." Hetty managed to say after getting over the shock of seeing Clara in his eyes. She said it in Russian, which caught the boys attention.

Relief at hearing his own language showed in his face and he calmed down. "You understand me?" He asked.

Hetty sat on the edge of the bath while the boy sat on the lid of the toilet. "Yes, can you tell me your name?"

"Callen." He said as he covered the wound again. "Just Callen."

Wondering how he didn't know his own name and where his sister was, she left those questions and focused on how to help him fix his leg. "Can I have a look at it?" she asked.

Callen shook his head, "No, it bleeds every time I take the towel away." he rubbed at his eyes then and sniffled a little. "It hurts."

"I know, how about we go into the sitting room and I'll patch it up." She received a nod and managed to tie the towel around the boys leg. Helping him into the room and once he was sitting on the coffee table there, she went back to the bathroom and got the first aid kit. When she returned, Callen wasn't there. Instead, one of the supervisors was looking for her, the same one that she had spoken too just minutes before.

"Ah, Miss Waters. I'm just letting you know that we're heading back now, thank you again for having the children today. It brings such smiles to their faces."

Before Hetty could ask if she had already taken Callen, the woman had left. After a moment she was about to take the kit back to the bathroom when a voice surprised her.

"Is she gone?"

Hetty looked around and found a pair of feet sticking out from under the floor length curtains. She twitched the cloth back to reveal a scared little boy. "Yes, she has taken the others back to the group home." She held out a hand and Callen placed his in it. She led him back to the coffee table and sat him back on it. "Why didn't you go with her?"

"I don't like her. The boy who was bullying me is her son." Callen carefully pulled the towel away from the wound, ready to put it back on should it start bleeding again. After a moment and no further blood seeped out, he handed the towel to Hetty.

"Her son? I only allow orphans to come here." Hetty was far from pleased at this development and now realised that the woman no doubt thought that Callen had started the whole thing. She sat closer to Callen and was about to clean the wound up when he came out of his musings and saw how close she was to him. He flinched back, moving his wounded leg away from her. Hetty realised that he didn't know what she was doing. "I'm going to clean the wound and cover it otherwise it could get infected. As it is, it will scar."

After a few moments, Callen nodded and allowed her to tend to his wound. Hetty asked as she worked "How did you end up at the home?"

"I don't know." He looked down at the backpack that he had picked up off the beach. It had split in half and Hetty could see that it was well worn. "All I can remember is the home. This bag is all I was told I had when I showed up."

"Do you know English?" Hetty asked as she finished putting on the pad and wrapped a bandage around it. They had been speaking in Russian the whole time.

"Yes," He answered in kind, "I just don't let them know how well. That way they think they can say whatever they want in front of me and I don't know what they're saying."

Hetty was surprised at how well he spoke it, and how little of an accent he had. "Might be best if you stick with English. It will make things easier for you. Do you know the language?"

"No. What is it?" The young boy asked.

By this point, Hetty had thought someone would have returned to look for the boy, but no one had. As she looked at the time, Callen spoke up.

"They won't notice. That woman will have told them I've run off."

He stood and tested the leg. After finding it didn't hurt, thanks to the numbing cream Hetty had applied, he thanked the woman. He then turned and headed to the front door.

"And where do you think you're going, young man?" Hetty called out after him. After seeing the look of uncertainty on his face, she continued. "The streets are no place for a six year old boy."

"I'm seven! And I've been on them before." Callen said sharply back to her.

Hetty had to hide her smile at the authority she heard in his voice. "Perhaps, however, no child should be on the streets over Christmas. I have a spare bed and more food then I can eat. You are welcome to stay."

_END FLASHBACK_

Nell sat in silence after the tale, it was getting dark now and she huddled against her future husband.

"After that, I came here a few times a year before I left the system. I would spend several days, recovering from whatever wounds I suffered that made me escape before heading off. Even if she wasn't here; Hetty had given me a spare key after a couple of years."

"After Romania, that's what the rift between you was all about? I knew that you had worked together for a while, but what we all saw between to the two of you; it went well beyond just a working thing."

"Yeah, staying here all that time, having her patch me up, looking after me. It took me a long time." His eyes went a little cold as he looked at Hetty and the old woman had to hid a shudder when she felt it.

Nell looked at the two most important people in her life after her parents. She could see that the trust was still being rebuilt, and that Callen had yet to forgive her. She squeezed his hand on her shoulder, "Do you forgive her? Knowing what you do now, knowing that if she hadn't taken a hand at helping you to grow into the man you are now and told you, would you have gone after the Comescues as a kid and possibly gotten yourself killed?" She looked at him then turned to Hetty as he looked at his boss, friend, the closest thing he had to a mother.

His eyes melted a little as he finally realised that Hetty had indeed been protecting him. "Yes."


	6. Nell & George

A/N: I let the other chapter end the way I did as nothing seemed to fit. And I intend to leave this one the same. I hope you have enjoyed reading this story as much as I have writing it. There is another story that tags onto this one. It takes place a few months later and I HAVE finished it. I will publish a couple of chapters tonight after I have sent these on their way.

Thank you to all those who have stuck with me on this journey and I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Callen and Nell returned to his home a couple of hours later. It was almost midnight; the end of their first Christmas together.

Callen made his way over to the couch that now filled his living room, pulling Nell with him. "Wait here." He said before heading to his room. While the two of them slept together in the master bedroom, he still had his things in the room he occupied when he was a teenager. If Nell stayed late at ops, she would often find him dozing on the bedroll he kept there. He returned a few minutes later with two gifts. He pulled Nell down with him onto the couch and gave the heavier one to her first.

Nell unwrapped it and lifted the lid of the box it was in. She gasped as she saw that it was the Fairy Wrens she had been admiring in Melbourne. "Greg?!" She looked up at him.

"I saw how you kept getting drawn to them. The blue in the male wren matches my eyes, the one that looks after their family, the bird that flies when trouble comes . The brown of the branch matches yours, the sturdy piece that can be relied upon." He looked into her eyes, "You are my branch Nell, the piece that keeps me here. You have been ever since you walked through those doors." He pushed the other into her hands after placing the birds on the coffee table.

Nell saw that it was a tin. A little dented, rusted and worn, but when she lifted the lid, she saw that it was full of memories. She pulled out a photo of a woman sitting on top. It was black and white. She had dark hair and was spinning around as the photo was taken. "Greg, is this…?" Nell didn't finish as she realised what she was holding. It was The Box. Callen's box of treasures that she had heard Sam talk about. He had a vague idea of what was in it, but he had no real clue as to what it held.

"Yeah, that's my mother." Callen said as he held the photo with her. "Everything in this box is something I've found that belongs to my past." He didn't need to tell her what they were, she knew most of them. "This is the part of me that I want you to know about. So you know as much about my past as I do."

Nell knew just what this meant to him. Callen had never let anyone as close to him as Nell was right now. Even in Australia he had kept a little to himself, but now it was all out there. He had opened his sole to her and she had no idea how to let him know that she would keep it safe. So she simply hugged him as tight as she could. "Thank you Greg."

Callen held her tight as she hugged him. He had hoped that by sharing his box of treasures with her, she would understand just what he was risking, and she did. After a few minutes Nell pulled back and stood.

"Now you stay here. My turn." Nell went to their room and from the desk beside her half of the bed, she pulled a thing envelope. She handed it out to Callen and she could see the confusion in his eyes. She simply told him to open it.

Callen gasped as he pulled the yellowed paper from the envelope. It was his birth certificate. And at the top was his name.

George Callen Reznikov

Mother: Clara Margret Callen

Father: Nikita Alexander Reznikov

Country of birth: Russia

Siblings: Sister – Amy

"My name really is George. How?" He asked. He looked at her, unable to say anything more. Tears had started to form in his eyes.

"A lot of phone calls and favours. A friend of a friend has a family member whose husband works for Russia. Without telling them who I was, who I worked for or anything that could compromise us, I tracked it down by telling them that my husband had no idea who he was and that these names were all he had. The man also managed to find something else as well. It's the second paper in there that will interest you more."

Callen gently put his birth certificate down on the coffee table and reached into the envelope once more. It was an official Kremlin order on the organisations letterhead dated in the mid-nineties. Callen read over it several times just to make sure that it was real.

"I had another friend of a friend check; it's real, George, if and when you find you father, he is a free man and will not be prosecuted." Nell could see the tears in his eyes had started to spill down his cheeks. She gently tugged the orders free and hugged him tightly. "Everything's going to be ok George. I promise we will find him and bring him home, where ever he is."

As they hugged, the clock on the mantle over the fireplace chimed midnight, on the most memorable Christmas Callen had ever experienced. He pulled back from Nell and kissed her softly, saying the words that he couldn't voice with it; his love, gratitude and joy that he had her. He then lifted her up and took her into the bedroom. The pair stayed curled up until long after the sun rose on boxing day.


End file.
